December 19- Fourth Sunday of Advent

            Eucharist 9 AM in the Chapel

            Eucharist 11 AM in the Church

December 19- Nine Lessons and Carols in the Church, 6:30 PM

December 24 - Christmas Eve

Christmas Pageant and Eucharist in the Church, 6:00 PM

Christmas Midnight Mass in the Church, 10:30 PM

December 25 - Christmas Day

            Eucharist in the Church, 11:00 AM

FESTA / ABIO benefit production

The FESTA theatre company (Florence English Speaking Theatrical Artists) will perform "A Christmas Carol" at St. James on December 18 at 7:15 PM. The performance will be acted by the FESTA kids, in the style of reader's theatre.

FESTA is offering this performance in collaboration with ABIO (Associazione Bambini in Ospedale), an amazing organization that provides volunteers to play with and calm down children who are waiting to go into the Meyer Hospital Emergency Room. A free will offering will be taken, and all of the donations collected at the end of this performance will go directly to ABIO.

Festa Theatre

www.festatheatre.com

Tel. 338 9180867

info@festatheatre.com

When:  March 25-27, 2011.  Friday 19:00 until Sunday 14:00

Where: to Rome, Italy and then on to Palazzola Center (website: www.palazzola.it ) One can travel to Fiumicino or Ciampino airports.

Cost: travel expenses and 120 euros for room and board.

How thirsty is your soul?  Where is your living God? If these questions resonate with you, come and drink; come and be. This retreat offers a peaceful space to rest in God's presence, and an invitation to journey with others on this sacred path. Our lives are so busy and God too often becomes a cry in crisis. The theme will be "Water". It is a mammoth topic and creativity is invited. We know how precious and life giving water is. We are also very much aware of the powerful and destructive force water can be. Come and present yourself to God in loving expectation and longing. God is waiting for you with open arms.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Clair+ at: crullmann2001@yahoo.com or +43 646720107 for a conversation.

The Rev. Clair F. Ullmann will be our leader this year.  Many of you know Clair+ through her activities in the Convocation.  Clair+ has been a spiritual director since 1989.  She studied spiritual direction at the Shalem Institute in Bethesda, Maryland and belongs to Spiritual Directors International as well as Spiritual Directors Europe. She is an experienced retreat leader.   Clair serves as an assisting priest at Church of the Ascension, Munich, Germany and as Vicar of the Chapel of the Holy Family in Mühlbach am Hochkönig, Austria. 

 Contact for registration forms and details:  The Rev. Clair and Rainer Ullmann,

Email: crullmann2001@yahoo.com  Tel: 0043 6467 20 107

Although we are blessed with a beautiful church in a beautiful city, St. James is a parish of modest means. People are often surprised to learn that we are financially independent, and receive no financial support from the national Episcopal Church, from any missionary agency, nor from the US or Italian governments. Our mission and ministry is kept alive year to year by God's grace and the extravagant kindness of people like you.

All donations to St. James are fully deductible for US tax purposes. St. James Church is a parish of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Our tax ID number is 13-6132268. In accordance with Section 170 (F)(8)(B), any goods or services provided to you consist solely of intangible religious benefits.

Personal checks should be made payable to "St. James Church" and sent to:

St. James Church

Via B. Rucellai, 9

50123 Florence, Italy

or to:

Friends of St. James Church

c/o Anne Bowen

P.O. Box 352

Salisbury, CT 06068 USA

It is also possible to donate online at the St. James website:

http://stjames.it

Unless you wish your gift to be earmarked for a special fund or purpose, it will be used by the Vestry wherever it is needed the most. Please use the "Item" box to indicate the gift's allocation, if any, as well as dedication (e.g., "made in memory of..."/ thanksgiving for.../celebration of... etc.) You will receive an electronic confirmation of your gift, followed by a thank you letter that will also serve as an official document for IRS purposes.

Gifts of stock are gladly accepted. Transfer instructions are provided on request.

If you might consider the inclusion of St. James in your estate planning, please contact our rector at rector@stjames.it and a time to discuss it in person will gladly be arranged.

For more information, please contact friends@stjames.it or call the church office at 055 294417.

St. James' Town House, in the heart of Florence, is the perfect place to stay with friends or family. We are centrally located near the train station, the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and many other favorite places to visit. We accept reservations for a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 3 months. Your stay with us is considered a donation to St. James Church. Contact us for availability and further information. Everyone is Welcome at St. James' Town House!

St. James' Town House is a three story apartment with its own entrance on via Bernardo Rucellai, next to the church rectory and part of the parish complex. It is a spacious 3-bedroom, 3-bath apartment, furnished with antiques, including a beautiful 1826 John Broadwood fortepiano, and overlooking the church and the rectory garden. It is fully equipped with linens for both bed and bath, along with kitchen supplies. There is satellite television that includes many English language programs, a washing machine, microwave oven, and iron. The bedrooms and living room are air conditioned. Off- street parking within the grounds of the church for one car.

Organist Robin Walker will have a concert of Advetn and Christmas music at the Waldensian Church, in Via Micheli, on Saturday, December 20, starting at 8:30 PM.  Entrance is free.

Robin is based in Florence, where he is currently Director of Music of St. Mark's Anglican Church and enjoys a busy and varied concert schedule in the UK, Europe and the USA, alongside one-to-one and group teaching. He studied for a performance degree and postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy of Music, London.  While at the Academy, Robin won the Organ Recital Award, and prizes for choral conducting and church music.  He studied with David Titterington and Patrick Russill, and improvisation with Naji Hakim, and graduated from the Academy with DipRAM, the Academy's Gold medal. Robin's most recent CD release on the Divine Arts label is "John Ellis - Music for Organ volume 2."

Please visit Robin's website at www.theorganist.co.uk